After a heated contest, William Hague took the Conservative reins but he failed to boost the Tories' fortunes and Labour won again in 2001. Mr Hague resigned and Iain Duncan-Smith beat off Ken Clarke's challenge to become Conservative leader.

The Liberal Democrats under Paddy Ashdown had close links with the government and formed a joint cabinet committee. Mr Ashdown stepped down as leader in 1999 and Charles Kennedy took the helm.

The "New Labour" government has been trying to raise standards in primary and secondary education, reforming the health service, social security system and the House of Lords.

It also devolved power to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and created an elected mayor for London.

On 5 May 2005, Mr Blair secured a historic third term for Labour, but with a drastically reduced majority.

Election facts

The landslide represented a swing of 10.3% from the Conservative to Labour

Tony Blair's victory had been achieved on the lowest turnout - 71.2% - since the war, and the party had taken a modest 43.2% share of the vote

New Labour had taken more votes from women, the young, and the working class, and had for the first time secured more of the votes of the middle classes and owner occupiers than the Tories

A record 120 women were voted into Parliament and dubbed by the tabloid papers as "Blair's Babes"

There were an unprecedented total of five women in Mr Blair's first Cabinet - Clare Short, Margaret Beckett, Harriet Harman, Mo Mowlam and Ann Taylor.